Mamnoon, Mauritian president agree on collaboration in education, health

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain and his Mauritian counterpart Dr Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim agreed Monday on strengthening ties in diverse areas including education, health and trade.

In a one-on-one meeting held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the two sides emphasised on close collaboration for the mutual benefit of their countries.Mamnoon said the current volume of bilateral trade did not match the true potential and stressed the need for a Free Trade Agreement to enhance business activity. He also called for establishing air links between Pakistan and Mauritius for promoting of trade, tourism and people-to-people contacts.

He said Pakistan and Mauritius held unanimity of views on several international matters. He said exchange programmes for students, education experts, businessmen and parliamentarians would strengthen relations between the people of two countries.

President Ameenah proposed celebration of Pakistan Week in Mauritius and holding exhibitions for promoting Pakistani culture, society and commodities.Ameenah, who is a biodiversity scientist, lauded the quality of Pakistani educational institutions especially the Hussain Jamal Ibrahim Institute of Chemistry. She extended invitation to Mamnoon to visit Mauritius which he accepted. Later, Mamnoon hosted a banquet lunch for the visiting dignitary.

The two sides also held delegation-level talks. Minister of State for Information Technology Anusha Rehman, Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Fatemi, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry and High Commissioner to Mauritius Lt Gen (r) Tariq Rasheed represented the Pakistani side.

During a meeting with Fatemi, the Mauritian president expressed the confidence that both the countries would continue exploring new avenues for cooperation to further strengthen their bilateral relations.

Issues of bilateral and regional interest were also discussed in the meeting which was held in a warm and cordial atmosphere.Fatemi underlined the need for bolstering economic and trade relations between the two sides and highlighted the numerous steps taken by the Government of Pakistan resulting in an overall robust economic performance.

He also briefed the visiting president on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s initiatives for regional peace and stability and his strong commitment to maintaining cordial relations with the neighbouring countries.